‘Bring them back’ – Sports Director advises

If the Director of Physical Education and Sports Nelson Hillocks has his way, persons who have retired from his department would be asked to return to lend their expertise and help administer the various disciplines of the local schools’ sporting calendar.{{more}}

Hillocks ventilated his desires last Friday at the opening of the 2014 Secondary Schools’ Netball Tournament at the Arnos Vale multi-purpose sports facility.

“ … Another thing that I am saddened about also, in schools sports and I hope that we can stop it, is that persons like Mrs [Joan Foster] Baynes … all we can see them to do is to come here and pray… I feel we should use people like Mrs Baynes, Mr [Stanley] Gunny Hinds … These persons who have contributed years in the development of these sports and they have it at their heart … Ask them to come and help us, because they have skills …”, Hillocks advanced.

A pessimistic Hillocks also believes that all would not be well soon with the schools’ football programme, when Julian Small, a member of staff, retires.

“I am afraid that Mr Small will be proceeding on retirement leave in October, and I feel that no one in this country who has as much knowledge and skills and competency in organizing school football…”

Hillocks said it would be sad to see him go home and sit down and have nothing to contribute to the development of schools’ sports. He also expressed fear that with the pending retirement of Woodrow “Killy” Williams from the Department of Physical Education and Sports, more expertise will be lost.

Hillocks, while at the podium last Friday, also used the opportunity to be critical of the way matches in the tournament were fixtured and the hosting of the preliminary round of the competition, which spans a six-week period.

“We cannot continue to be playing without knocking heads together – teachers, principals, administrators, national associations to see how we can advance this product,” Hillocks advocated.

Under the current configuration, the Ministry of Education is responsible for the administration of schools’ sports, with the various national associations – the chair of the respective disciplines.

The other strand of the trilogy, the Department of Physical Education and Sports, provides technical assistance, if and when called upon to do so.(RT)